


Some Things Never Change

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-07-02
Updated: 2005-07-02
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Everyone has bad days. Some people have secrets. And thePresident is quite capable of saying something very stupid at a very bad time.Somethings never change.





	Some Things Never Change

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Some Things Never Change**

**by:** Regency

**Character(s):** Ensemble  
**Pairing(s):** Jed/Abbey/Leo; Zoey/Charlie  
**Category(s):** General Drama  
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Disclaimer(s):** I don’t own anyone except Nicholas and Lindsay.  
**Summary:** Everyone has bad days. Some people have secrets. And the President is quite capable of saying something very stupid at a very bad time. _Some things never change._  
 **Author's Note:** This is my submission to the Five Elements challenge. My elements were:

1)Jed says, "Some days it just doesn’t pay to chew through the restraints" at an inopportune moment.

Two people in the story constantly e-mail each other.

Abbey hugs Debbie

The Little Prince [It’s a book]

The word "spatula".

Debbie closed the door behind her carefully as not to wake the sleeping boy inside. Nicholas had fallen asleep while she was reading him the last chapter of _"The Little Prince."_ He always fell asleep before the very end of any book. Endings made him content and contentment made him sleepy. She was certain that he'd never heard the end of any book. Including his favorite, _"The Little Prince."_ One day she'd read it to him all the way through.

She walked down the stairs, still carrying the book in her hands and headed to the kitchen. Nicky would be up with his nightly insomnia come the next hour and he would need some ice cold milk to get him back to bed. She never knew what it was about the iced milk that did it, but it seemed to do the trick every time. He was nearly dead on his feet before he ever reached the stairs.

She didn’t know why, but at that time she always found herself awake in her kitchen, making pancakes. Well, she knew why. She just didn’t like to think about it too much. Her daughter, Lindsay had been the same way, except her passion had been pancakes. Oh, how she had loved pancakes. She’d eat a whole plate of them before trudging sleepily back up the stairs and falling face first into bed. Debbie would come up late and have to turn her around on the bed, as her daughter had been quite the nocturnal contortionist.

She’d passed that on to her son, as Debbie often had to pull his head from the footboard and his feet from the floor. How he slept that way, she’d never quite understand. But other than his nightly acrobatics, he was a sound sleeper. She, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. She never slept well when given the chance. Maybe, it was all her own doing or the product of an over imaginative mind; or it could simply be that she had too hectic a schedule to sleep when normal people did. Though she’d never submit to being called normal. She was quite honestly the night owl. She preferred it that way.

She’d sit quietly on her couch, watching whatever happened to be on TV, which was rarely very much, and she’d wait for 2am to roll around before heading to the kitchen to pour Nicky’s milk. He’d hop up on a barstool and watch her as she moved the cabinets for a glass and the refrigerator for milk. It was the same every night and still, he came down the stairs with the stealth of a panther, and if she wasn’t where she should be, he suddenly became just a raucous as most six-year olds are. He made sure she never forgot her duty and she made sure he never got out of line. It was a partnership. She adored him and he was enamored with her.

He loved her clothes, the way she dressed. He loved her dry personality such as it was and her strange sense of humor. He was probably the only one in the world besides her daughter to ever see her laugh, or cry. She didn’t make the latter a habit in front of him or at all. She personally didn’t like to cry. Though, Lord knows she’d been given enough reason to. If people only knew the things she’d lost. If they only knew...

Charlie sat silently at his desk, eyes intent on his computer screen. He was waiting. Waiting, waiting...there. There was a small ping as the screen name reappeared along with a response. 

**ArboretumBabe:** _"You do realize that there’s nothing about you that could be even slightly misconstrued as normal, don’t you?"_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Of course, I work for your father. And my taste in women is impeccable."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"I’ve heard, dear."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"You didn’t mean that ‘dear’ in the cute way, did you?"_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Your silence is telling."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"My silence says nothing, but the White House Assistants aren’t nearly the same. They tell me things."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"It seems that they do."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Yes, it does."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"What exactly have they been telling you?"_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Oh, don’t concern yourself with that. I’m sure you’ll find out eventually."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Why is that?"_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"You’ll see soon enough. Look, Charlie, I need to go. I’m going into town with Annie. We’re going to shop. Be good and maybe I’ll pick you up something nice._

With that **ArboretumBabe** signed off and **JeanPaulAntagonist** had work to do. Over the next few days, it would be all but impossible for the two of them to make it to the computer at the same time, but that was for later. Right then, Charlie was looking for Debbie.

He checked his watch for what he was sure was the fourteenth time and looked back at her desk as though he could divine her there simply by the power of his own will. Which was pretty strong in and of itself, but still there was no Debbie. That was pretty strange for her. She was never late, if anything, she was grotesquely early. She wasn’t what you’d call a morning person, but she was, at the very least, more alert than the rest of them had a tendency to be that early in the morning or should he say late at night. She didn’t do late.

Just as he was about to pick up the phone to call her at home, she rushed through the West Wing and into the outer office in a huff.

"I know, I know I’m late. It was an accident. My grandson came down with a fever early this morning and I had to find someone to take care of him today. And I was going to call in, but I realized that the President had the thing and that there was no way that I could not be here. So, long story short, I’m here. God, tell me what I’m supposed to do, because I can’t remember it for the life of me." At this point, Charlie was just trying to wrap his mind around the part about Debbie having a grandson.

"Your grandson had a fever?" Debbie leaned on the desk and nodded. "You have a grandson?"

"Yes." Charlie looked completely taken aback. Besides an ex-husband, he never considered her the type to have family, especially not grandchildren. She didn't quite fit that grandmamma mold he knew so well.

"Oh." Debbie continued to give him a deadpan look.

"Don't strain yourself. It's a hard thought for most to contemplate when it comes to me." Charlie thinking that he's offended her, starts to backpedal.

"I didn't mean that, you know...I don't know what I meant." Debbie hung up her coat and gave him another inscrutable look.

"I certainly hope not, since you didn't say much. I don’t like to think of you as the type of person who says nothing a lot."

"Okay." He only watched her as though she was an alien and had been masquerading as human her whole life. As if he'd been alive that long. Debbie met his eyes and stared at him until he started to fidget. He didn't know what to think.

"Is the President up yet?"

"Yes, he's in the Oval already. He needs his schedule for the day and I don't have it." Debbie nodded to herself and dug around in her purse for a key to the desk drawer where she kept his daily itinerary after it was printed the night before. She grabbed it out and held it up victoriously. It was all coming back to her.

"Got it! Is he busy right now?" Charlie gave her a blank look. She sighed and nodded. When wasn't the President busy? "Is he alone, at least?"

"Yeah, he's alone."

"Then, I'll take him his itinerary."

"You remember what to do after that, don't you?"

"Yes, Charlie. It's all come back to me." She glared at him malevolently. She used the look she always used on Nicky when he acted ridiculous. It worked like a charm. His eyes skittered away. A small bit of smile overcame her lips as she entered the Oval. She still had it. "Good morning, Mr. President."

He looked up at her over his glasses and looked down to watch to check the time. "Well, good morning, Debbie. We're a little less than punctual today, aren't we?"

"Yes, sir. Family emergency. My grandson came down with a fever and the whole thing went to hell from there." The President managed to look concerned.

"This morning?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, is he all right?"

"Yes, sir. At least, he was when I left him with the sitter an hour ago." Debbie made a mental note to call home when she got a free moment.

"I didn't even know you had children." Debbie made a shrugging gesture.

"Everyone has secrets, Mr. President." She stepped forward and handed him his itinerary. "Here's you itinerary for the day, sir. You're set to meet with the First Lady for a late lunch at around two o'clock. So, if you could please try to keep everything within the given time span, we might be able to make it an early dinner." The President looked at her like she'd just popped out another head.

"We're feeling a bit persnickety today, I see." Debbie took a deep breath and centered herself.

"No persnicketyness intended, sir. I'm just worried." He took off his glasses and folded his hands in front of him.

"About your grandson?" She nodded. "Where is he?"

"At my house."

"He's visiting?" Debbie shook her head, crossing her arms.

"He lives with me. I have custody of him." The President nodded and watched her intently. It was as though he was seeing her in a completely different light. He was.

"Why didn't you stay home with him? I'm sure we'd have somehow managed without you."

"I thought about it, I was even about to do it, but I realized that you have that thing today and that there was no way I could not be here. And that's that."

"Ah, yes, that. I wish we could postpone that. It's dead end and it's important. Isn't that everything that comes across my desk?"

"Not everything, sir. It just seems like it. Sometimes it's important enough that even a severely thoughtless group of numb nuts like the House of Representatives can see that it shouldn't be politicized. Of course, my definition of _important_ and _sometimes_ may differ from that of the Senate and that of the House. It certainly has in the past." Debbie stopped short when she realized that she'd been on a rant for the last three minutes. The President just watched her silently the whole time.

"Glad to get that off your chest, Mrs. Hottentot?"

"Yes, sir."

"You're right, ya know?" 

"About Congress?"

"Yeah. I have high hopes despite my own best efforts."

"I would think so." Everyone knew that this one was close to his and the First Lady's heart. The Safe Child/Safe Haven Act, informally referred to as "Zoey's Law." It was a law that would ensure among other things that a kidnapped child or person might enter a public, or some cases a private establishment and render it locked down to ensure that they come to no (further) bodily harm or harassment. It also applies to an abused spouse, man or woman, with or without children if they feel that they are in danger from their spouses or persons contracted or coerced by aforementioned spouse. It only related to Zoey in that it was to the aid of kidnapped persons, but everyone immediately dubbed it hers.

"Why do you care?" Debbie jumped a little at the question. She had her reasons. She just hadn't expected him to care about them.

"Because." She left it at that. She had her reasons.

"Because what?" Seeing her discomfort, he started to backpedal. The last thing he needed was a pissed off Debbie. "Not that you're required to tell me about that. It's completely your business. I'm just curious." She watched him quietly. He seemed genuinely interested. He would be the only person she'd told since the funeral. No one else had ever asked.

"I had a daughter, she had a son. She went out one night. She left her son with his father, who was quite jealous and just as violent. He went out after her. He left his son on my doorstep without knocking. I didn't know he was there for hours. He went to the club she was at and dragged her out to the car. He started to beat her there. When he stopped the car at a traffic light, she got out of the car and ran into a store. It was about nine at night He went in after her and yanked her out by her hair. No one helped her when he came after her. She got away from him, but apparently he called some friends and they chased her down. I called him later, around midnight to ask if he'd seen her. He said no. I called the police. We looked for her for days. I never found out what happened to my daughter, Mr. President, but I know if it did, it was him. Ever since this thing was proposed, all I can think is that if my daughter could've done this, maybe she would've been saved. Maybe not. I just think it's a good piece of legislation. Maybe it'll save a life."

"Did he get away with it?" She wasn't looking at him anymore, but her mind was on her little girl when she was so much smaller. She'd inherited her mother's sensitivities to all things outdoors. They'd sit together on Spring days and watch all the other mothers and daughters play outside. They played checkers and poker. Lindsay had been nearly as good as Debbie and had beat her a few times.

"What?"

"Did he get away with it?" She snorted softly.

"Yeah, he got away with it."

"How? If you know this is what happened, then how'd he get away with it?"

"My story only proves he beat her. That's aggravated assault. He left his nearly infant son in the cold for hours without informing me. That's child endangerment. He could've frozen to death. The rest of it is all speculation."

"If she never came back...That has to count for something."

"Yes, but he played the courts well. He made his case that she was a drug addict, that she was promiscuous. She wasn't. God, she wasn't. She wasn't perfect. But, if anybody had the drug thing, it was me." At the President's bewildered glance she corrected herself. "Not like that. I had an addiction to pain killers that I was trying to kick. After her, it moved to anti-depressants." She shrugged self consciously.

"It was hard to face a day without her, wasn't it?" Debbie nodded, blinking away tears. This day was a red-letter one for her. It had been five years since her daughter had disappeared. Nicholas was six years and two months old.

"It still is, but my grandson makes it bearable. I only tried to kick it when I realized that he was going to get Nicky unless I fixed myself up. I did. It lasted for a while. I started again when he was three, I stopped after our interview. I realized that I was being less than my daughter would've given him and less than he deserved. I haven't given the pills another glance since then. He's why I care. His mother is why I care. I didn't want someone else to go through that. I care because I've been the one left behind wondering what happened. I care because I know." He watches her with knowing eyes.

"Yeah. It's something about knowing and almost knowing. That horror of wondering with no answer in sight." Debbie gathered herself and nodded.

"Sometimes there are miracles." He nodded, turning his chair so that he could look out the window. His eyes were glassy.

"Sometimes." She watched him, already knowing that he was retreating into his head to reflect.

"I'll push your first appointment back fifteen minutes. Will that be enough time, sir?" He nodded, but didn't say anything. She didn't think he could have. She slipped out of the room and took her seat behind her desk. She pulled out the President's Day Book and wrote Fifteen minutes with Fiderer. Her day had officially begun.

Charlie kept looking at her funny. She gave him a dark look and he went back to work. It was nearly five minutes before she realized she had tears on her face. Just another day.

Jed sat across from Abbey and watched her silently, seeing her lips move, but not comprehending anything coming out. He should have been listening. She always told him that he didn’t pay enough attention to what she had to say. Unfortunately, that was often true. He was trying to change that, but Debbie's voice kept ringing in his ears. Everyone has secrets. The vote was that night.

Abbey stared blatantly at Jed as he continued to not listen to her. It wasn't the first time, but he normally made a point of being better at hiding it. He let out a soft sigh. Then, he hiccupped. Her eyebrow went up without her even trying. He took a drink of water and looked at her again. His eyes were a little puffy, a little red.

"What happened today?" He blinked at her as though there was something he'd missed. He'd missed a lot.

"What?"

"What happened today? Babe, I've been talking for a while now and you haven't been listening since I started. Something happened, otherwise, you'd have hidden it better." She reached out and rested her hand on top of his. "Talk to me." He pulled her hand to his mouth kissed her fingertips, pressing them to his cheek.

"I talked to Debbie this morning. She was late." That surprised Abbey. Debbie late? That didn't happen.

"And?"

"We ended up talking about the Bill and I asked her what personal importance it held, because she'd been so passionate about it. You wouldn't believe her reasoning." Everyone has secrets.

"Well, what was it?"

"She said that her daughter was kidnapped a few years back and that she never found out what happened to her. She ended up raising her daughter's son, Nicholas." Abbey stared at him, squeezing his hand tight. Her heart was racing in her chest. "That's why she was late. He got a fever. She said that everyday was so difficult without her daughter. She said that sometimes miracles happen."

"They do." They should know.

"Yeah, they do." Jed closed his eyes, trying to dispel the images of his family without Zoey in it. The never knowing..."It would kill me."

"What?" She already knew.

"The never knowing where our baby went. I couldn't have lived with that. I'd have gone insane. How Debbie manages, I'll never know. I want this bill to be passed. I want to give Debbie some...closure, what closure I can give her. She deserves so much more."

"Yeah. Just cross your fingers, honey." He smiled at her quietly. He reached up and traced her nose, then her cheeks.

"You are so much more than I deserve, you know that don't you?"

"Oh, yes." He laughed hoarsely. At least she was honest.

"Good."

"But you know what?" He shook his head. "Worthiness goes both ways." She stood up and walked around the table. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. He pulled her into his lap and they made an afternoon of it. The vote was tonight.

The vote would start in a few minutes. Debbie sat placidly at her desk and waiting for the President's new schedule to print out. The Senior Staff was milling about, they having done all they could do to get this Bill passed. Soon the President would be lounging in Leo's office and the First Lady would probably be somewhere is his general vicinity. Charlie was back to staring intently at the computer. Apparently Zoey was home to watch the vote. She was in the Residence.

**ArboretumBabe:** _"So, the vote starts in, what, ten minutes?"_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Yep."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Do you really think the bill will pass. It's pretty invasive."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"I don't know, but we've done all we can. Now, it's up to the Senate."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Wow, that really gave me hope."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Yeah, but we're scrappy and praying."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Still not giving me hope, but can you please tell me that my father didn't do the thing I heard about on CNN this morning? Did he really say that on air?"_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"You mean that comment he made about that escaped prisoner?"_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"That's the one. **'Some days, it just doesn't pay to chew through the restraints.'** Admittedly, I started laughing. You have to admit it was ironic. This guy goes through all the trouble of sawing through the handcuffs with his teeth and escapes from prison only to be hit by a car."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"You kind of have to feel for him. All that trouble to end up as one of the President's funny, funny jokes. The family wasn't nearly as amused as a lot of the country. They basically denounced him."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Publicly?"_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Yeah."_

**ArboretumBabe:** " How does one go about publicly denouncing the President?"

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"You just pick up a microphone, pucker your lips and blow."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"I see. Hey, the vote's starting."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Yeah, gotta go. I'll be back after the vote."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Okay."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _JeanPaulAntagonist_ status is "idle."

**ArboretumBabe:** _ArboretumBabe_ status is "idle."

Charlie got up from his desk and went out to the Roosevelt Room to watch the vote with the Senior Staff. Debbie stayed and used the remote to turn up the volume. She'd watch the vote from here. Her hands sat crossed on her desk, clinching only slightly as each name was called. She nearly passed out at the first 'nay' vote, but it passed as it was followed by several 'yeas'. It was looking good. She soon realized that she wasn't alone. She turned around and saw that the First Lady was perched silently on the edge of Charlie's desk. For a second, she could have sworn that it was she the First Lady was watching, but when she looked again, her eyes were fixed firmly on the screen.

"You're not watching with the President?"

"You're not watching with the Senior Staff." It wasn't a question, simply an observation.

"I don't know what my reaction will be and I'd like to be alone whatever the outcome." Abbey nodded, her eyes not straying from the headcount for a moment. 23 yeas and 11 nays. That was closer than either were comfortable with.

They were silent for a long while, both innately aware of the other's presence. It 34/18. It was going to be a long half hour. Abbey crossed her arms in her lap.

"I hear you have a grandson." Debbie looked over her shoulder.

"Yes, Nicholas."

"How old is he?"

"He just turned six a couple of months ago." That intrigued Abbey.

"You're raising a six-year old all by yourself? That's not difficult?" As though some other age would be easier.

"It is, but I manage." Debbie had never gotten the chance to call home. She checked her watch. She should call home.

"He's sick?"

"Yeah. He woke up this morning with a bit of a fever. Call me overprotective, but I wasn’t sending him to school with any kind of illness. He's the only thing I've got left of Linds--" She couldn't finish and turned back to the television. She didn't want to think about that right now. The vote was 54/21.

"Yeah." Abbey didn't know what to say. The difference between losing and coming close seemed bigger than just two words at that moment. She wasn't sure she'd have been able to survive it. She couldn't help her curiosity. "She never came back?" She wished she could take it back as soon as she'd asked. It seemed insensitive. Debbie was used to that sort of thing.

"No."

"I'm sorry, I asked. That must seem terribly insensitive of me."

"No, not terribly." It was 63/23. 86 votes down, 16 to go. She already knew the outcome, but she didn't dare breathe until the last vote was called.

"Yea." Her head fell back against the chair. It ended 72 for and 30 against. The bill was passed. A mass cry went up all over the White House. Abbey and Debbie could hear it from where they sat. Abbey stood up behind Debbie with her hands resting on the back of her chair. She hoped Zoey had been watching.

"They passed our law." Abbey was grinning and turned to go to Leo's office through the Oval when Debbie responded, talking mostly to herself.

"No, they passed our daughters' law." Debbie was lost in her entangled memories of raising her daughter and raising her grandson, memories that her daughter never got to make. There were tears on her face. She wished she could turn back the time. 

"Yeah." Abbey decided that she had act fast. Before Debbie could react or protest, she had been swept up in a hug. At first, she was stunned, but then she clung to the other woman just for a moment. Someone who understood where she was coming from, if not completely. "Bless your daughter, Debbie. God bless her soul." Debbie nodded and pulled away.

"And yours." Abbey smiled, her eyes just as wet with tears. Her husband was waiting.

"Good night, Debbie."

"Good night, ma'am." Abbey slipped away to Leo's office to celebrate with her men. Debbie, Nicholas, and Lindsay would be in her prayers tonight. So would Zoey. God bless her soul.

Debbie reached for the phone and dialed her home number. It picked up on the third ring.

"Hello." It was a very sniffly Nicky.

"Nicky."

"Hi, Nana." She smiled despite her current state of emotions. He'd always had that affect on her.

"Hi. Did you watch the vote tonight?" She could hear him nod though she couldn't see him.

"Yup, it was 72 to 30. Does that mean we won?" She laughed.

"Yes, it does."

"Cool. Hey, Nana?"

"Yes, sweetheart." 

"Can we make pancakes when you get home?" She had a flashback of a little Lindsay looking up at her with her big brown eyes. She had a hard time saying no to her. So, naturally it was hereditary.

"Of course, but you'd better wash the spatula before I get back though. Remember, we used it for waffles this morning."

"Okay." He started to run to do it right away. He was always a doer and less of a talker.

"Wait, honey. Hang up the phone in case I need to call back."

"Okay, Nana. Love you."

"Love you, too, Nicky. See you in a little while." The phone clicked and she was already cringing at whatever broken dishes would await her when she got home. But her main question: Where the hell was the babysitter?

She put down the phone with a sigh. She'd ask the President if she could leave for home. Nicky sounded all right, but she still wanted to check. She stood up and walked around the desk, but came to a sudden stop when she saw the President watching her intently.

"Is Nicholas all right?" She nodded, straightening up her desk.

"I forgot to ask how he was feeling, but he sounded. Mr. President, I was coming to ask you if--" He nodded.

"You can go home. We won. I think we all deserve a night off. I’m taking Leo and Abbey for dinner and I think Charlie will be spending the evening in the Residence." Debbie quirked her eyebrow at him. He approved of that? "Charlie just doesn't know it yet. Zoey called and basically asked us to not come back for awhile. It's the least we can do. Besides, it's been awhile since we've had a night on the town. Yeah, you can go home, Debbie. And enjoy those pancakes." She smiled. She would.

"Thank you, sir." He smiled.

"No problem. Now, get outta here." She picked up her coat and purse and left the White House. As she walked towards her car, her cell phone rang. She answered it.

"Hello."

"Nana, we don't need the glass piglet, do we?" She closed her eyes. That's where they kept the flour. She might have to make a stop at the store on the way home.

Charlie fell into his seat, champagne still in hand. Zoey was back and had been for awhile.

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Sorry, I was gone for so long. We got to celebrating and I lost track of time._

**ArboretumBabe:** _"No problem. I had some stuff to do, anyway."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Like what?"_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Stuff. Hey, are you completely nutted or do you feel like coming up to the Residence to celebrate with me?"_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:**

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Your silence is telling."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"My silence says nothing. I was just looking for your father and getting my stuff."_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"So, you're coming?"_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Yeah. I just have to tell let Deanna know where I'll be."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Where is your father, by the way?"_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"He's out with mom and Leo. They're going out for a night on the town."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"You kicked them out, didn't you?"_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Basically."_

Charlie stopped for a moment to think about what he was doing. He hoped Zoey was ready. He hoped he was ready. He had one more question.

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"You do realize that 'this' is what I care about, don't you?"_

He was reflecting on their conversation outside White House more than a year ago.

**ArboretumBabe:** _"Yeah."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"And that's appealing to you, right now?"_

**ArboretumBabe:** _"You're appealing to me, right now."_

**ArboretumBabe:** **_"You're_** _always appealing to me. Now, get your ass up here before I find another White House Aide to celebrate with._

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _"Yes, ma'am."_

**JeanPaulAntagonist:** _JeanPaulAntagonist_ has signed off.

**ArboretumBabe:** _ArboretumBabe_ has signed off.

Debbie put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and set it to go. She'd returned home to find her babysitter making out with her boyfriend. She had been uncharacteristically pleasant when she'd paid her and fired her. It was an appreciated effort. Next time, he would just have to come with her. The pancakes had come out beautifully. It had taken some work, but she managed to get most of the syrup and flour from both of their hair and the furniture. That's what soap is for.

She walked into the living room and saw a pajama'd Nicholas sitting in his mother's favorite wingback chair. He was holding _"The Little Prince"_ in his hands and it was opened to the first page of the last chapter.

"Nana, can you read the end again?" She smiled.

"Yeah." She gently picked it him and sat him on her lap and so, she began. As she got to the second to last page, she heard him give a thunderous yawn and he settled down in her arms. _Some things never change._ She kissed his small forehead, but continued reading. After she read the last sentence, she closed the book and took a breath.

A little voice whispered, "The end." He was awake, but just barely. He had finally heard the whole book. Some things do change.

She kissed his forehead again. "The end." And the cow jumped over the moon. She guessed this could be considered a happy ending.

Abbey laughed as she was spun around by Leo and then, by Jed. At the denouement of the song, they each took a side of her and she got _dipped._

They caught her before she hit the ground. They always had. 

_Some things never change._


End file.
